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Shirai Ryu are a clan of Japanese ninjas in the Mortal Kombat universe credited with bringing ninjutsu and other secret martial arts to Japan from China.
History
Shirai Ryu was founded many years ago by a Lin Kuei warrior named Takeda. He eventually got tired of Lin Kuei and left the clan. However, leaving the clan will be punished by the death penalty, while Takeda is pursued by Lin Kuei assassin. After he left China, he returned to his homeland in Japan, where he served the lords and generals. His art gradually spread in Japan and developed into the art of ninjutsu. In addition to teaching his new art form, he also teaches Lin Kuei's tactically modified version and reveals many of their secrets. When Takeda's teachings were widely known among fans in Japan, this further angered Lin Kuei. His followers are known as Shirai Ryu.
Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei would become huge competitors. Takeda's family ridiculed Lin Kuei in a similar yellow dress and taught them a secret modified version. Although Takeda managed to avoid many of his assassination attempts in his later years, he was eventually killed by poison. As Shirai Ryu became more prominent, the hostility between Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu continued to exist after his death. For many years, they have been fierce competitors with Lin Kuei, who while just emerged. They were eventually wiped out by the evil necromancer, Quan Chi, who destroyed the all clan members (Hanzo Hasashi, also known as Scorpion, who was previously murdered by the older Sub-Zero).
First timeline
In the following years, Scorpion was the last of the Shirai Ryu, left determined to avenge them, eventually discovering Quan Chi as the true culprit. During the events of Deception Scorpion was offered the chance to have the clan revived in return for acting as the Elder Gods' champion against Onaga, which he eagerly accepted. However, as revealed in Armageddon, this promise was only partially honoured as the Shirai Ryu would be revived as undead Hellspawn, like Scorpion himself. This would lead to Scorpion vowing revenge on the Elder Gods, with the Hellspawn Shirai Ryu mindlessly obeying him. In his ending, after Scorpion defeated Blaze at the Pyramid of Argus, his newfound powers fully resurrected the thousands of Shirai Ryu, who were now loyal to Hanzo. However, after Quan Chi spitefully stole his son, the clan joined their Grandmaster in pursuing the necromancer through the Realms.
Second timeline
After Shirai Ryu was revived by a completely resurrected Hanzo Hasashi, the clan is now working to protect Earthrealm and help those victims by recruiting them into Shirai Ryu. Recently, when the grand masters of both clans, Hanzo Hasashi and Kuai Liang (Sub-Zero) met to discuss the history and relationship of their clan, the hostility between Shirai Ryu and Lin Kuei was peacefully resolved. When Sub-Zero revealed that only a few (corrupt) Lin Kuei participated in the first Shirai Ryu massacre, all hostility between the clans was eliminated.
New Era
The Shirai Ryu of the New Era would be founded in the present day, as a result of Lin Kuei Grandmaster Bi-Han's corruption. His brothers Kuai Liang (Scorpion) and Tomas Vrbada (Smoke) defected, and vowed to create a new clan that would uphold the Lin Kuei's original principles. Later, they fled to Japan and sought refuge with Harumi Shirai, a family friend. Together they would found a new clan to defend Earthrealm and face the corrupted Lin Kuei. After Scorpion and Harumi embarked on a relationship, he named the clan in honour of her. They did initially struggle with finding initiates, but Smoke would encounter a young orphaned boy called Hanzo Hasashi, who would be given a home as the Shirai Ryu's first true initiate.
Trivia
- While other factions have had a stage dedicated to them over the years, the Shirai Ryu didn't have a selectable stage belonging to them until Mortal Kombat 11 (the Shirai Ryu Fire Garden).
